Health and Safety

Kitchens are where everything happens. It’s not just where meals are prepared – it’s usually the hub of the home, where family and friends get together to spend time. Cooking and eating together is about more than nutrition for the body. It’s also the experience of connecting and interacting with family members, to feed relationships. Try to choose one meal that everyone comes to the table. It doesn’t have to be dinner. This is a challenge as everyone has their own activities (especially as children grow), but starting early promotes the importance of family time together, and also demonstrates a healthy attitude towards food and eating.
Socializing
• Children love playing with simple pots, pans and wooden spoons. Give them some to play with, or buy them their own play set
• If you’re in the kitchen they want to be there too. Find a place that’s safe, but also allows you to engage with them
• When eating, have them sit at the table in age appropriate high chairs and booster seats
• Interact with children at mealtimes, even when just starting on solid food
• Create a stress fee feeding environment for your baby
Teaching
There are many lessons to be learned in the kitchen. You can start teaching very early. Cooking is a skill your children will use forever and you’ll create fond memories together. Even a baby’s early development can be taught in the kitchen:
• Colors and numbers – have your baby count the numbers of apples you’re peeling and ask the color
• Vocabulary – tell the baby the names of all your ingredients and ask her to repeat them
• Safety – show them the dangers in the kitchen - what not to touch and why
• Agriculture – where food comes from. How do fruits and vegetables grow? You may even consider planting a garden, so your child can see the whole process
• Table manners – the use of utensils, saying “please” and “thank you”
• Following directions – a recipe can help with reading comprehension and how to follow instructions
As your child ages, you can also teach them how to make family recipes and share with them about your own childhood and family mealtimes.
Cooking
Cooking does not have to be a major event if you do not have the time or energy. Many people think they can’t cook, but they prepare meals all the time. It does not require a recipe book or hours of time alone in the kitchen. You only need an imagination and a stocked pantry or refrigerator.
• Find a safe place for baby to watch you cook and talk to them to keep them interested – always remember to take a break and spend a few minutes playing or hugging
• Interruptions will happen – make foods that can be prepped easily or make meals in stages
• Allow children to choose foods and meals for the family – they can take pride in the family meal and that they’ve contributed
• When age appropriate, allow children to help with tasks such as mixing dough, peeling vegetables, setting the table, making family name cards
• Children will spill and make mistakes – be patient
Health and Nutrition
You want your child to grow up with healthy attitudes towards food and nutrition. They will look at what and how you eat for guidance. If you are always dieting and not enjoying food, you may pass along negative feeling about food to your children.
• Have them see you enjoying healthy foods
• Avoid foods that you do not want your child to eat. If they see you eating cookies, they will want cookies too.
• Avoid forcing your child to eat – children will eat if they are hungry
• Introduce a variety of flavors and textures to your children’s diet
• Eat whole foods vs. “fast” foods
• Create a stress fee feeding environment for your baby
• Avoid bribing children with sweets
Food and Memories
Food can remind us of special occasions, events, people, etc. “Comfort foods” are those that make you feel good and often remind you of your past or childhood. Usually these foods are rich in flavor and texture (creamy, crunchy). We sometimes rely on these foods to comfort us when we’re not feeling well or want to be reminded of a special time or event. These foods may also reflect an ethnic heritage, culture, region and time. They may be time consuming to make, such as a Thanksgiving dinner or they may be quick and easy (Peanut Butter and Banana sandwiches)
Ask yourself “what are my comfort foods and why?”, and “which foods would I like to become my child’s comfort foods and why?”
Lisa Barnes is the owner of Petit Appetit a cooking service devoted to infants and toddlers. She teaches private and group cooking classes to parents throughout Northern California, and is the author of The Petit Appetit Cookbook (Penguin, March 2005) For more information visit http://www.petitappetit.com

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Babies usually triple their birth weight the first year. That’s why nutritious and safely handled food, served in an age-appropriate way, is so important. Being aware of safe food handling practices and potential feeding dangers are the best ways to protect your family from food illnesses and accidents, while also giving your child a healthy start on development and growth. Here are a few important tips and reminders.
1. Wash Hands. It’s important to wash your hands before preparing food or beverages, especially when feeding babies. According to a Penn State University study of mothers with infants less than 4 months old many moms said they routinely forget to wash their hands after changing baby’s diaper, and using the bathroom. Not washing hands could result in infant diarrhea from the bacteria transferred while engaging in these activities.
2. Handle Bottles Carefully. Although some babies will drink a bottle straight from the refrigerator, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) advises most babies prefer milk warmed to room temperature. Warm the bottle by holding it under a running hot-water faucet or putting it in a bowl of hot water for a few minutes. Shake well and test milk temperature to make sure it’s not too hot before feeding. Microwaves can heat unevenly. Children’s mouths and throats can be severely burned by bottles heated in the microwave. Always discard leftover milk in bottle to reduce the growth of harmful bacteria.
3. Cow’s Milk. Avoid serving regular cow’s milk until infants are 1-year-old. Before then, infants may experience an allergic reaction, stomachache and low blood iron. When you begin serving regular cow’s milk, serve whole milk. Do not switch to lower fat milk until the baby’s doctor recommends this change usually around age 2.
4. Mixing Cereal and Formula in the Bottle. Do not serve cereal mixed with formula from a bottle. Many think this practice helps babies sleep better through the night, however there is no evidence of this. Plus, there is a possibility of a baby choking.
5. Hold Baby When Bottle-Feeding. Babies who are put to bed with a bottle are more likely to have cavities. This practice also increases the potential of choking.
6. Limit Juice. Serve only 100 percent juice and in small quantities so it doesn’t interfere with the infant eating other nutritious foods. AAP recommends giving juice diluted with water only to infants who are approximately 6 months or older and who can drink from a cup. AAP recommends offering no more than a TOTAL of 4 to 6 ounces of juice a day to infants. (Source: American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Nutrition)
7. Avoid Honey And Corn Syrup. Do not serve infants honey or corn syrup during the first year of life. These foods may contain botulism spores that could cause illness or death in infants.
8. Food Introductions. When introducing new foods, try only one at a time, and start with single-ingredient foods. Avoid serving mixed ingredient foods until each food has been given separately. Begin by serving about 1 to 2 tablespoons and then increase the amount as baby wants more. Wait at least 3 days before trying another new food so you can tell if there are any adverse reactions.
Iron-fortified rice cereal is usually the first food offered, as this is easily digested. It’s frequently recommended to continue fortified baby cereal through the first year of life.
Remember your baby will still be receiving the majority of nutrition from breast milk or formula during the first year.
9. Serve Solids Safely. Transfer an amount you feel baby will eat from the baby food jar to a dish. Throw away any food left uneaten in the dish. Avoid feeding directly from the baby food jar. Bacteria from a baby’s mouth can grow and multiply in the food before it is served again. Use refrigerated jarred baby foods within 1 to 2 days after opening.
Once opened, do not leave baby food solids or liquids (breast milk or formula) at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Bacteria can grow to harmful levels when food is left out longer than this.
10. Choking Hazards. Avoid serving foods that may choke an infant, such as nuts and seeds, raw carrots and celery, whole kernel corn, raisins, large chunks of meat or cheese, popcorn, chips, pretzels, grapes, whole berries, cherries, unpeeled fruits and vegetables, hard candies, pickles, hot dogs, marshmallows (regular or miniature), and peanut butter. In general, avoid foods that are round and firm, sticky and chewy or cut in large chunks.
As infants grow into toddlers, they can begin eating the foods above, if cut into small pieces. Most pediatricians advise foods should be no larger than 1/4 inch for toddlers and 1/2 inch for preschoolers.
Lisa Barnes is the owner of Petit Appetit, a cooking service devoted to the health and nutrition of infants and toddlers. She is the author of The Petit Appetit Cookbook (Penguin, March 2005) and teaches cooking classes to parents in Northern California, who want to provide fresh, healthy, organic foods to their family. For information and to sign up for a free newsletter visit http://www.petitappetit.com

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It seems there is an exception to nearly every rule, and the codes that govern kitchen hood installation are no different.
These codes are designed to promote health and safety. Most governmental building inspectors establish and enforce code requirements for their state and/or city.
Having this sort of “book knowledge” is good, but “real world” knowledge also is necessary to adequately enforce the code
That lack of real world experience often prompts plan examiners to go against the intent of the code- to ensure health and safety- while attempting to follow the letter of the code.
Some plan examiners need to pay more attention to the safety tips the contractors are proposing and consider that we are doing what we can to comply with the code.
Imagine a situation in which a kitchen hood system has to be installed in a new building and the code required that the system be installed 10 feet from the edge of the roof. However, doing that would have made future cleaning, repairs and services difficult and dangerous for workers, because of a nearby hedge and a slope on the building.
Sometimes when you comply with the code, real safety and practicality are being ignored just to meet the code. But you shouldn’t forget that the concept of safety and practicality is a great issue too.
The Process
When a hood cleaning company is hired to install a hood system, someone must first submit drawings to the appropriate plan examiner for the city. In some cities, this is a person who has a background in the field and engineering and/or design knowledge.
Sometimes the plan inspector is someone who may possess the book knowledge, but they’ve never worked in the field and don’t realize that following the code actually decreases safety in some cases.
Basically, they just read from the code book. If the code says to put in 10 access panels, that’s what they expect, even if doing so would mean that some of those panels aren’t accessible. That is not practical, nor does it make good sense.
In situations where the hood installation firm recommends an alternative to strictly adhering to the code, someone with the firm takes this idea to the city and explains the situation. If it is believed that putting an exhaust fan five feet from a building’s edge because at 10 feet, there is a slope that would make cleaning and servicing the fan more dangerous, he tells the examiner.
Once the examiner approves the alteration, they include an explanation on the drawing that explains why the code won’t be followed in that situation.
Thankfully, examiners who insist on following the code without exception are few.
This happens seldom, most planning examiners are pretty reasonable, knowledgeable guys. They understand what’s out there, and they know when the guy in the field is telling them something different from the code, it’s because there is a safer way, not because he’s trying to make the work easier.
The danger in having these “strictly by the book” examiners is that is breeds apathy over time and contractors begin to stop considering the long-term consequences of their work.
Contractors should put personal care into their work. They should consider safety in everything they do and work to ensure there are no flaws. But because there are “pencil pushers” who enforce the code without any external considerations, many contractors today just build according to code and don’t consider the consequences.
The code is designed to protect people and promote safety. We don’t want to get around the code, we just want to make sure we follow the spirit of the code and the intention behind it.
About APS-Hoods
APS-Hoods is a Denver, Colorado based full-service restaurant fire protection business that installs, services, repairs and performs routine inspections and cleaning for hood and fire suppression systems. Founded by Chief Executive Officer Massoud Farazandeh in 1989, APS-Hoods has grown into a national leader in kitchen hood sales, hood cleaning and fire protection for restaurants and facilities.
Reputable, professional restaurant hood cleaning services are trained to safely use 3,500 to 4,000 psi steam cleaners to penetrate and cut through built up grease.
© 2008 Sinai Marketing and APS-Hoods. Authorization to post is granted, with the stipulation that Sinai Marketing is credited as sole source. Linking to other sites from this article is strictly prohibited, with the exception of herein imbedded links.

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Fuerteventura is the second largest of the Canary islands and is becoming increasingly popular as a holiday destination due to its constant sunny weather, making it ideal for sunbathers and water sports lovers all year round. The island has long sandy beaches which are considered to be some of the best in Europe, in contrast it has rugged moon like terrain suitable for off road biking and quad biking.
The following helpful tips on Health and Safety while you are on Fuerteventura will ensure that you have a safe holiday.
* Tap water is not recommended for drinking, not because it isn’t safe, just that the water on the island has a high mineral content which can give foreigners “holiday tummy”. Buy bottled water which is readily available and cheap.
* Fuerteventura does not have malaria carrying mosquitoes so no inoculations are needed before you go, but it is a good idea to take insect repellent for the beach and a plug in for your room at night.
* There are English speaking doctors and dentists in most resorts.
* Chemist are easily recognizable by a large green cross on a white background displayed above the the shop.
* Most keep shop hours, but there is always a 24 hour rota system for emergencies; each chemist has the name of the nearest farmica de guardia (duty chemist) displayed in the window.
* Some popular beaches have lifeguards and use the flag system.
* Green means you CAN swim, safely.
* Yellow is for STRONG swimmers only.
* Red means NO SWIMMING UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.
* The cool breeze on the island can make the actual heat feel deceptive. Make sure you apply sun tan lotion, with a high factor, regularly. Remember to also re-apply after coming out of the sea or pool and try and keep out of the sun between 12 noon and 3pm.
If you would like to enjoy all that the lovely island of Fuerteventura has to offer in the peace and quiet of a secluded villa. Villa La Perla Negra on the recently finished Bahia Azul estate makes an ideal basr from which to explore the island. With 3 bedrooms that sleep 6, your own private lagoon shaped pool, hot top on a rooftop terrace, please visit http://www.relaxxation.co.uk for more details, availability and booking.
If you would like more facts and information on Fuerteventura please visit http://www.fuerterelaxation.com for your FREE report.

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To get the most out of your training there is more to do than simply just turning up to ride. Planning some simple things into your cycling training can ensure that you gain the optimum from each session. Having a specific strategy that addresses what you are aiming to get out of a day on the bike will go along way to achieving success.
Discipline is the one thing all serious athletes require in order to reach their goals. It is the common element that can be found resident within all those that we look up to in the sporting arena and aspire to be like. For me the simple action of getting out of that warm bed early in the morning is the hardest step of all! Discipline demands that you make decisions ahead of time. There will be no saying no if it is too cold or too hot. There will be no question as you lay your head on the pillow of whether you will be rising with dawn or not. Discipline is often the difference between the great and the good.
Serious cyclists always need benchmarks and the extra incentive to spur them on to the top of the mountain peak they are aiming for. This is why I advise a training group. They will have significant benefits for all. I recommend a group of at least 4 and no ore than 6. Exceeding this and you won’t be missed if you skip a day which can eventually lead to you dropping off. This number will allow everyone to feel a part of the group and bring accountability. A feeling that you letting the others down is not a bad one and can push just when you may need that little nudge.
There are many benefits in being part of a smallish cycling training group. The healthy competition factor can be an incredible booster and helps us push the front wheel over the line of comfort and consequently make us better and stronger riders. As a group setting some times occasionally to reach a particular destinations, or setting a time for a section of the ride, adds variety and keeps the competition edge alive and well. Be honest with each other and set goals and offer advice to aid each others development as a cyclist.
Catering for the variance in abilities in the group can be managed so all feel they are getting maximum benefit. Use the younger and fitter guys as lead wheel according to the difficulty of the route you have selected and train in a time trial formation - and go hard! Allow those who need recovery to stay at the back for longer stints. Steep climb sections may require a few really top members of the team to reach the top, turn round and head down to rejoin the group and head to the summit again. Thus all working to their potential. Discuss these little things before heading out.
Assess the groups weaknesses and strengths. Some are sprinters, some climbers, some real all rounders. The group factor can really come into play to help each other overcome their area of cycling weakness. Help those that hate the hills and steadily speed up the non sprinters. Changing your route will assist this. Also having a short loop circuit when hill training can be fun so the better riders can surge ahead and catch the group so in essence you are still training together. Finishing off the session with a group handicapped sprint can be great enjoyment and leave you feeling like you have really pushed yourself.
Keep the session fun and allow the relationships within the group to strengthen by planning some other events apart from cycling training. If you have partners or kids, take them on a cycle track adventure altogether. Find a social event to dine together. These times can also be used to discuss ways in which training can be kept enjoyable and an event to look forward to. Closeness will bring accountability and understanding. It is human trait that a sense of a strong bond between team athletes significantly enhances performance. Some of the best personal times are run, swam or cycled in a relay or team event! If you are competing in individual events at a particular competition, having these training buddies around will assist your performance as well. You watch!
Set yourself up to succeed by ensuring that you have all the physical requirements and advantages before, during and after training. Assess individually what your body requirements are by experimenting with differing quantities of food and liquid intake. Amino Sports Fuel drinks will ensure maximum output of energy as well as replacing vital ingredients such as electrolytes that the body has sucked from you under physical exertion. Use these before and definitely during competition and training. I also cannot stress highly enough the need for a protein shake after cycling. Preferably within 30 minutes after exercise. Whey protein shakes will significantly assist your muscle to recovery, growth and repair. Don’t waste your training!
Keep safety as a priority. Before a single pedal has turned, quickly discuss the safety issues of the route - transition points, equipment, high traffic areas, weather conditions, clear signals that all the group can understand and react to. Be aware of when others and yourself are fatigued. Let each other know. This is when accidents invariably occur when cycling; apart from inconsiderate drivers, when riders reactions and senses are marred due to physical stress and exhaustion. That’s why it’s good to finish with a predetermined safe stretch home.
Colin Johnson has been an elite sports coach, drug educator and father of five children all in one lifetime! He lives with his family on the shores of beautiful Lake Macquarie. Colin strongly recommends Sports Amino Fuel for energy and stamina for the endurance athlete and whey protein shakes for muscle recovery and development. These sports nutrition supplements can be purchased conveniently and cheaply online at http://www.protein4health.com and Colin can be contacted at admin@protein4health.com to answer any health supplement related questions.

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Have you ever noticed a baby or a little child playing? Babies look cute with innocence all over the face. They get so engrossed that nothing else matters to them. Have you noticed a boy generating a hilarious noise of a automobile working engine they give the girls a boost to an artistic stockpile where another group of children trying to play with other things like; toy rabbits and bears, then you comprehend the educational significance of toys, their utility influence. Toys engage in recreation which is more or less the utmost ingredient in baby’s maturity enhancing their psychological or individual growth. Many toys facilitate children to survey the humankind of make suppose as they try to replicate full-fledged mature individual like their parents. Children fascinate their parents to a great extent. The finest gift for a baby is a toy, but we often are confronted with a problem which toy to desire to give pleasure to the baby. They help children to develop possibility of knowing the world as well as to improve their coordination. So, there in no uncertainty and hesitation, that children and toys is something inseparable.
Different toys for different children. There are quite a lot of stages in a child’s growth which can be broadly classified into different categories. The initial group includes little babies from new born babies to 1-2 year old babies. These babies should be given toys which are just to keep the baby amused. These amuse yourself things are more often than not typical toys as teddy bears, dolls, jangles and etc. They are deficient in the enlightening significance, but their importance for babies is to add to their substantial and psychological progress. The best toys for this age group are the plush toys. But selection of a toy for a newborn, his or her age should never be overlooked; otherwise the baby will pay no attention to the toy, because it will be too straightforward and dull or too highly developed and multifaceted. Whether the toys play mild music or a lullaby or chat, they can be called motivating toys, because such toys build up the infant’s senses. Music stimulates and calms the babies.
Babies when grow into children, they need more educational toys. Toys can also develop skills in your child. Expertise development play things are very well liked and your baby by no means seems to get exhausted by it. It is also very noteworthy to prefer toys of diverse touch for your baby to improve right mind of surface. For instance, children they take delight in significance of playing buttons to listen to songs or playing a toy piano or a guitar imagining that they are very brilliant musicians. They might grow into being one, one day. A toy can make your child decide his or her career. You can also prefer wooden toys for this age group of children. Children love to act together with their toys and they become their friends, teachers and companions.
This author lives in Flemington, NJ with her husband and 5 month old daughter and is an expert contributing author for a luxury baby gifts boutique offering variety of baby shower favors, baby gifts wholesale, handprint footprint kits and more. This author and Babygiftstation is also dedicated to providing valuable and informative articles on childcare, baby safety tips, pregnancy health, parenting, potty training and more.

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If you came of age in the 1960s and decided to get a tattoo, you probably did it to show that you didn’t want to belong to the rich trendy establishment.
But if you came of age in the past ten years and got a tattoo, you probably did it to show that you did belong to the rich trendy establishment.
Tattooing as a form of self-expression has moved from the domain of heavy metal “bad boy” rock stars, military lifers, and Harley-Davidson road hogs in the 1970s to being common among film stars, athletes, and pop stars. From Sir Ian McKellen to Angelina Jolie, Mike Tyson to David Beckham, and Eminem to Brittany Spears, tattoos have become mainstream.
Dating back to King Harold II, who died in 1066 at the Battle of Hastings, and whose disfigured corpse was identified, legend has it, by the “Edith and England” tattooed on his chest, even members of the various royal houses of Europe have indulged themselves in the colorful art. Princess Stephanie of Monaco is only the most recent in a long line of them.
Life Magazine, in 1936, estimated that about 6%, or ten million, of all Americans had tattoos; in 2003, according to a Harris Poll, nearly one in six, or about fifty million, given today’s population of three hundred million, are sporting them.
And only last year, in 2006, the American Academy of Dermatology reported that almost one in four of all Americans between the ages of 18 and 50, and more than one in three of those between 18 and 29, have a tattoo.
Tattoos, in other words, are hot. And with the burgeoning demand for them, there is a burgeoning demand for tattoo parlors. But anytime there’s money to be made, there will be those who want to make it in the easiest way possible. So if you are considering getting a tattoo of you own, you need to watch your own, possibly soon to be decorated, back.
Tattooing is not without its risks. If it is done in sanitary conditions by an experienced tattoo artist, it usually will not result in any lasting health problems. But tattoo safety relies on the person injecting a foreign substance permanently into one’s skin. And it’s only natural that some people who get tattoos will experience adverse reactions, ranging from skin irritation to allergies to infection, even when the parlors they use practice the highest standards of tattoo safety.
Even the FDA, as the watchdog of the cosmetics industry, has weighed in on the dyes used in tattooing ink. It has given them the all clear for use in lipsticks, but has remained silent as to their suitability for permanent skin injections. On the other hand, it has not yet tried to regulate their use.
You should know, however, that some red tattoo inks contain mercuric sulfide and ferric hydrate, and mercuric sulfide, present in cinnabar and vermilion inks, is associated with increased allergic reactions sometimes to the forming of granular lesions. These lesions are little nodules which appear because the body’s immune system sees the tattoo dyes as a foreign substance. The nodules reaction can occur with any colored tattoo inks.
Dubbed the “red reaction”, the sensitivity to red tattoo inks may lead to swelling, itching, and inflammation around the tattoo. But the reaction may also lie dormant for many years.
You don’t have to have a medical degree to know that, when you allow yourself to be tattooed, you are allowing thousands of miniscule openings to be made in your skin. And you know that with every breach of your skin there is a chance that bacteria will find their way in.
You can minimize the chances of a bacterial invasion, however, by doing a little pre-tattoo safety investigating. Verify that your tattoo artist uses brand-new sterile needles; that he or she does the equivalent of a brain surgeon’s hand scrubbing before getting to work; and that he or she puts those thoroughly clean hands inside some even cleaner gloves. Skin infection is uncomfortable, but blood infections can be deadly.
If you find yourself in a tattoo parlor where the artist wants to use a deodorant stick to transfer the tattoo design from the paper to you skin, make sure that the deodorant applied to a fresh piece of paper, and then transferred from the paper to your skin. Directly Sharing a community deodorant stick goes against all the rules of tattoo safety, and is one great way of loading your skin with germs before the tattoo needle gets anywhere near it.
If you are someone with a compromised immune system, for instance, if you’re diabetic, you are at greater risk than the general population for infections, and may have an extended healing period following your tattoo.
And while tattoo parties may sound like just the sort of thing wild and crazy people love to do, they are in reality no different from sharing a needle to mainline heroin. Whatever is on that needle when it makes it way to you is going to be yours to keep. That includes things like the Hepatitis B and C viruses, or even HIV. There is, where tattoo parties are concerned, no such thing as tattoo safety .
Even if you get your tattoo in spotless circumstances, you’ll need to take care of it properly during the healing process. The tattoo artist will get you started by applying some a topical anti-bacterial and bandaging it. So you need to know, and tell the artist, if you are allergic to any particular antibiotics.
Once you get your new tattoo home, just follow common sense tattoo safety precautions in keeping it clean.
Leave the bandage on for about an hour, and when you remove it, wash you tattoo with an antibacterial soap and cool water. Then cover it with an ointment to prevent your skin from chapping, and repeat the routine every four to six hours for about a week.
Keep your tattoo out of the sun, keep it from drying our, do not scratch at it, and when you do touch it to clean it, wash you hands with antibacterial soap first.
Don’t expose your healing tattoo to any “community” water with a dip in the swimming pool or shared splash in the tub. And, if you want to maintain the strength of its colors, keep it away from chlorinated or salt water.
And even when it looks healed, keep using an alcohol-free moisturizer on it several times a day for another month.
A tattoo, applied according to tattoo safety standards, and allowed to properly heal, is a great way to make you feel special, and maybe just a touch “naughty”. So don’t settle for any but the cleanest parlor and most careful artist, and you will be treating yourself to a bit of color which will last the rest of your life!
Author: Matt Garrett - © 2007 http://www.TopTattooDesign.Com
Discover how to avoid being the one in four who Hate thier new Tattoo, including simple Tattoo safety tips, in our your free Tattoo Guide : -
Free Tattoo Guide

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Any construction site poses potential hazards to those working on it. Construction safety is one of the most important considerations when planning a construction project. Some rules and regulations are law, others are common sense, but all equally as important due to the high risk of injury and death on construction sites.
In South Africa, the OHS Act & SANS 10085 is a strict set of safety regulations regarding scaffolding and other temporary structures. Any person working in construction should abide by this act and should be properly trained in all areas of construction work to ensure optimum safety.
First Aid and Emergencies
It is advisable to educate all workers on site about first aid and fire procedures. Basics such as the location of emergency phones, first aid kits, stretchers, fire extinguisher locations and evacuation plans greatly reduce the risk of injury and accidents.
Fire equipment should always be close at hand and all staff should be aware of where the equipment is, how to use it and what procedure to follow if there is a fire.
Prevention is Better than Cure
Precaution is a main ally of construction safety. Before anyone enters a construction site, there are a number of precautions which should be observed.
Firstly, no one should enter the site without a hard hat and knowledge of how to conduct themselves properly on site. Hats, gloves, eye protection glasses and proper footwear are vital!
Workers need to be healthy and fit to work on a construction site. If a worker suffers from dizzy spells, a fear of heights, is sick or anxious, they should not work at an elevated level to prevent injury or death by falling.
Proper knowledge of how to lift things can save a person from any possible back injuries. If lifting a heavy weight, use your legs and not your arms and if the load is too heavy, get someone to help.
Safety on Site
There are further precautions which need to be adhered to in the construction industry.
Workers should never use power tools unless they are trained in how to use them.
Safety harnesses should be worn at all times when working at a height to prevent injury or death from falling. Any areas of danger should be barricaded and workers or visitors to the site should never enter a barricaded area.
When on site, if having to work around machinery or dangerous areas, make sure that construction workers can see you and are aware of you, to avoid injury.
When entering a confined space, the air supply might be weak and the space could be filled with poisonous or flammable gases. Workers should get a qualified person to test the air of such spaces with a detector.
Electrical grounding on a construction site should be checked every day. When electricity is not grounded, it can be fatal. A construction site is an unstable location and electrical flow may not be set up to normal safety standards, so it is vital that electricity supplies be checked to make sure that the supply is grounded. The atmosphere can wreak havoc with the safety of a construction site. If the weather is wet, workers should use ground fault circuit interrupters to prevent injury by electrocution. Three-prong plugs are also safer to use than others.
Ladders can be a great danger to construction workers. There should be no litter or debris around the base of the ladder or on the ladder being used. A ladder should also always extend three feet above the landing it is resting on so that workers can climb on and off easily and without risk of overbalancing. When in use, a ladder must have safety feet attached to the legs. If a ladder is defective, it needs to be tagged and removed from the site.
Scaffolds should be built according to recommendations, with scaffold planks properly secured to prevent workers overbalancing and dropping heavy loads or falling off the scaffolding. Trenches need to be sloped if their size exceeds 5 feet to prevent collapse and workers should never enter a trench without it being sloped.
Your Brain is Your Best Protection
Aside from all of these precautions and safety instructions, common sense is a big factor when it comes to safety on construction sites.
Workers who are under the influence of alcohol or drugs are a major hazard to the safety of themselves and others. Throwing things over the sides of a building or level should be strictly forbidden as it may connect with another person on the site and injure them.
Playing around and being foolish, running and not paying attention to where you are going will make any construction site extremely dangerous. Open fires are also a major risk of injury as flammable gases and substances are common on a construction site and can catch alight easily.
A construction contractor should ensure that all staff are aware of these safety procedures and are willing to abide by them. Most contractors will mention health and safety as part of their service and adhere stringently to safety standards.
Author Bio:
Cape Formwork Contractors (CFC) are construction formwork and scaffolding contractors based in Cape Town which adhere stringently to health and safety regulations such as the OHS Act & SANS 10085, and maintain their health and safety standards to the highest level.

Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

For grandparents who have not taken care of children for quite some time, a refresher course is very essential to remind them of important things to put in mind. Grandchildren can come as a surprise but with some fixing and reading, grandparents can get refresher tips on how to take care of grandchildren. The safety and health of children always comes first. Therefore, ensure that safety precautions are put in place at all times. It is important to fix all hazards and make some changes in the house to ensure the home is a safe place for grandchildren.
To keep young grandchildren safe, ensure dangerous areas in the home are locked. Latches, doorknob covers and other fastening devices can be used to lock all dangerous places. Protect grandchildren from poison and move all medication to places that they cannot reach. Medicine should be kept in children-resistant packages and locked in cabinets with safety latches or locks. Sharp and breakable objects must be kept away from grandchildren. Lock the dishwasher and cover trashcans with secure lids. Additionally, ensure all rooms that children should not access are locked and use doorknob covers.
Prevent any serious falls that may injure children once they start walking. They get curious and want to walk everywhere. Safety gates are important to ensure they do not fall down the staircase. The gate should extend across the stair’s bottom and top to increase security. Install gates that are easy to open and children cannot budge. Gates that are screwed into walls are more secure. Additionally, construct window guards to ensure children do not fall off windows. The guards should attach to the window frames and have closely spaced metal bars so that children do not open the windows. However, it is important to leave a single window unguarded because it will come in handy in cases of fire accidents.
It is important to have a first aid kit and some knowledge on emergency treatments for kids. For instance, Pedia-Pak is a fine first aid kit particularly tailored for up to 5-year-old children. The kit is necessary for traveling parents and grandparents. The kit will equip caregivers and grandparents for various popular children situations and emergencies. The common content anticipates diaper rash, cold symptoms, scrapes, allergic reactions, headaches, bruises, burns and other common types of medical situations for children. Install an anti-scald device on faucets to turn water to about 120 degrees to avoid shocks and burns on children.
Keep hazardous furniture away from the house and use edge and corner bumpers on sharp corners. Fold cords for window blinds because they can strangle children. Cribs should have closely fixed bars and should not have corner posts that are sticking out. Generally, equip homes with all basic devices for safety such as carbon-monoxide detectors, fire extinguishers as well as smoke detectors. Test the devices to ensure they are functioning well and always keep an eye on the children all the time. Working jointly, you and the safety devices will protect grandchildren from danger. Being organized and having the right information are vital to perfect babysitting grandparents.
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Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

Recently, temperatures have been rising with heat-waves becoming utterly unmanageable and uncomfortable as well. This has increased the number of people patronizing swimming pools, raising the bar for the strict implementation of swimming pool safety rules.
Swimmers must be knowledgeable of the basic swimming pool safety rules to prevent untoward incidents from happening. The top 5 swimming pool safety rules which everyone should know before taking a dip are:
1. Supervise your children or aid in the supervision of other unattended children.
Needless to say, you should protect all children from accidental drowning. A considerable number of children in the United States die every year due to accidental drowning. Thus, swimming pool safety rule should be strictly followed both by adults and children. If your child wants to go swimming, then accompany him or her. If you are not available to personally supervise your child, then you should ask a relative or a sitter to accompany your child in your absence. You should also instruct your kids not to stray away too far. Remind your children to be always on the lookout for you or other adults when swimming so they would know where to get help.
2. Know the swimming pool staff or the surrounding environment.
If strictly followed, the swimming pool safety rules will be a crucial point in the success of preventing unfortunate circumstances like accidental drowning. You should know the pool environment so that you can instruct your child to not go beyond a place in the pool that you deem is too risky for them. You should also know the surrounding facilities that can immediately aid you in case something goes wrong. You should also be familiar with the swimming pool staff and lifeguard, so you would know who you can rely on, in emergency cases like who is knowledgeable on CPR.
3. Learn how to swim.
Obviously, going swimming does not necessarily mean knowing how to swim. Knowing how to swim is an important swimming pool safety rule and can be a decisive factor between life and death. So, if you do not know how to swim then learn how to swim by enrolling in swimming classes. Or if your child does not know how to swim, teach them or enroll them in swimming lessons.
4. Strictly instill common swimming pool safety rules such as no running, no pushing or no eating in the pools.
You should follow these and other swimming pool safety rules since they are implemented primarily to prevent accidents. For example, the No-running-rule is implemented because the surrounding environment is generally wet and doing so may increase the risk of accidental slips that may cause brain injuries. You should always instill the swimming pool safety rules to your children.
5. Maintain good hygiene and good health before swimming.
Good hygiene is often disregarded by many individuals, and maintaining good health is a required swimming pool safety rule. If an individual who is a carrier of E-coli failed to wash his or her hands after going to the washroom, he or she may then contaminate the pool spreading e-coli to others. Also, being in good health, like being alcohol or drug free, may prevent alcohol or drug-related incidents such as unruly behavior. You do not want one or both to happen so make sure you maintain good hygiene in and out of the pool.
For many more pool safety tips, including advice on buying products like pool safety fences, nets and covers visit: http://www.poolsafetyhelp.com or Pool Safety

Source: http://EzineArticles.com/